News, strategies and trends
By Ohmygov!
This series of articles on customer service in government is sponsored by Microsoft. Download a customer service planning guide at Microsoft Government today.
New rating system can help seniors choose Medicare Advantage plan
Modesto Bee
Seniors grappling with what Medicare Advantage plan fits their needs best have a new tool in their arsenal to help make the right healthcare choice. Medicare has introduced a five-star rating system that ranks privately-run plans on preventive care, managing chronic conditions, customer service, satisfaction and pharmacy services. The ratings cover all Advantage plans, from HMOs and PPOs to point-of-service and private fee-for-service plans; a full list of plans and their ratings is available on Medicare.gov. There really is no way to make choosing healthcare a "fun" process, but this new system makes the undertaking user-friendly and a generally painless experience. Read more here>>
Next steps unclear after balky national alert test
NextGov
http://www.microsoft.com/industry/g...r_service/default.aspx?WT.mc_id=Service_MyGov
Last week's inaugural test of the national Emergency Alert System (EAS) had a few hiccups, with some observers noting that the glitches could cause bigger problems in a real emergency. Instead of a clear test message, some stations interrupted programming to deliver dead air or a distorted signal, along with the occasional Lady GaGa tune. (She's everywhere!) "We can't afford to have this happen for an actual event . . . I'll take the criticisms. I know people weren't happy. I apologize for the disruptions that people went through," FEMA's Craig Fugate told ABC News. The system's shortcomings are not fatal, but they will do little to dispel the notion that the EAS is little more than an antiquated broadcast air raid siren. Read more here>>
Interior Launches New Crowdsourcing Map Portal
NextGov
The Department of Interior recently launched a new web tool that will allow citizens to use DOI data to create new interactive maps. Users will be able to pull together "a slew of interactive, government-produced maps that users can mash together and lay their own data on top of." Some of the maps users have already created include a nationwide look at metro and train systems and EPA cleanup sites. DOI Assistant Secretary Anne Castle told NextGov that maps created in the system by federal agencies, state governments or private sector and non-profit groups will stay stored in the system for the next user, thereby cutting down on the possibility of redundant maps. Read more here>>
Audit links spending cuts to N.J. utility's poor response to big storms
Newark Star-Ledger
October's freak snowstorm left thousands of North-Easterners without power for several days, and a new report is claiming that deep budget cuts to public utilities may be directly responsible for a total breakdown in customer service. Jersey Central Power & Light, which services 1.1 million New Jersey residents, has been taken to task for a response public officials are calling everything from "bungled" to downright "negligent." A performance audit commissioned by the Board of Public Utilities noted that spending cuts in recent years have had a direct bearing on reliability and service. With agency budgets being slashed across the country, this story serves as a cautionary tale for those wondering where the point of diminishing returns is when it comes to fiscal austerity. Read more here>>
Government Agencies Try Out A New Social Network
InformationWeek
Government agencies, many of whom long ago took the Facebook and Twitter plunges, are expanding their social media presence to Google+. InformationWeek reports that since making pages for businesses and organizations available two weeks ago, several federal agencies from the Smithsonian to the Marines have begun to create profiles. So far NASA seems to be the most active organization, with over a dozen multimedia posts, but more and more offices are signing up every day. Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube are still core components of agency social networking plans, but the arrival of Google+ is an opportunity for these agencies to diversify their online portfolio. After all, there is no such thing as being "too available" for a government agency. Read more here>>
Obama Orders More Technology Cuts
InformationWeek
President Obama recently drafted an executive order mandating that agencies establish "new policies to ensure they're not distributing mobile devices, tablets, or laptops that are going unused, according to the order." Obama also ordered agencies cut down on creating hardcopy paper documents and provide whatever agency information they can electronically. InformationWeek highlights Faith Stanfield, a Social Security Administration (SSA) employee from Ohio, who suggested that her agency eliminate printing its intra-agency magazine and instead begin to make it available online. These efforts come on the heels of the President's June "Campaign to Cut Waste" announcement which had originally proposed to eliminate 50% of federal websites by the end of the year and freeze the creation of any new ones until 2012. Agencies will have to transition away from paper communications smartly to minimize impact on citizens/customers who rely on that information. Read more here>>
White House petition site drawing attention and ridicule
Mashable
The White House's much-ballyhooed "We The People" website, which promises to provide an official administration response to any petition collecting 25,000 signatures, has made headlines in recent days for prompting an official White House comment on the existence of aliens. Some citizens are having trouble taking the site seriously, circulating a petition demanding "a vapid, condescending, meaningless, politically safe response." The petition's creators "demand that the White House immediately assign a junior staffer to compose a tame and vapid response to this petition, and never attempt to take any meaningful action on this or any other issue." The organizers go on to formally demand a cookie. So far the document has over 11,500 signatures, suggesting that a formal response (and that cookie) may not be far behind. Read more here>>
Request a free federal customer service strategy briefing
How is your agency addressing the White House April 27, 2011, Executive Order - Streamlining Customer Service Delivery and Improving Customer Service? U.S. Federal Government customers who are evaluating a CRM customer service solution may be eligible to receive a complimentary Microsoft Technology Center Federal Customer Service Solution Strategy Briefing, an eight-hour review of your agency's business requirements and a solution capabilities discussion to support a Microsoft Dynamics CRM based customer service solution. Read more here >>
www.ohmygov.com
By Ohmygov!
This series of articles on customer service in government is sponsored by Microsoft. Download a customer service planning guide at Microsoft Government today.
New rating system can help seniors choose Medicare Advantage plan
Modesto Bee
Seniors grappling with what Medicare Advantage plan fits their needs best have a new tool in their arsenal to help make the right healthcare choice. Medicare has introduced a five-star rating system that ranks privately-run plans on preventive care, managing chronic conditions, customer service, satisfaction and pharmacy services. The ratings cover all Advantage plans, from HMOs and PPOs to point-of-service and private fee-for-service plans; a full list of plans and their ratings is available on Medicare.gov. There really is no way to make choosing healthcare a "fun" process, but this new system makes the undertaking user-friendly and a generally painless experience. Read more here>>
Next steps unclear after balky national alert test
NextGov
http://www.microsoft.com/industry/g...r_service/default.aspx?WT.mc_id=Service_MyGov
Last week's inaugural test of the national Emergency Alert System (EAS) had a few hiccups, with some observers noting that the glitches could cause bigger problems in a real emergency. Instead of a clear test message, some stations interrupted programming to deliver dead air or a distorted signal, along with the occasional Lady GaGa tune. (She's everywhere!) "We can't afford to have this happen for an actual event . . . I'll take the criticisms. I know people weren't happy. I apologize for the disruptions that people went through," FEMA's Craig Fugate told ABC News. The system's shortcomings are not fatal, but they will do little to dispel the notion that the EAS is little more than an antiquated broadcast air raid siren. Read more here>>
Interior Launches New Crowdsourcing Map Portal
NextGov
The Department of Interior recently launched a new web tool that will allow citizens to use DOI data to create new interactive maps. Users will be able to pull together "a slew of interactive, government-produced maps that users can mash together and lay their own data on top of." Some of the maps users have already created include a nationwide look at metro and train systems and EPA cleanup sites. DOI Assistant Secretary Anne Castle told NextGov that maps created in the system by federal agencies, state governments or private sector and non-profit groups will stay stored in the system for the next user, thereby cutting down on the possibility of redundant maps. Read more here>>
Audit links spending cuts to N.J. utility's poor response to big storms
Newark Star-Ledger
October's freak snowstorm left thousands of North-Easterners without power for several days, and a new report is claiming that deep budget cuts to public utilities may be directly responsible for a total breakdown in customer service. Jersey Central Power & Light, which services 1.1 million New Jersey residents, has been taken to task for a response public officials are calling everything from "bungled" to downright "negligent." A performance audit commissioned by the Board of Public Utilities noted that spending cuts in recent years have had a direct bearing on reliability and service. With agency budgets being slashed across the country, this story serves as a cautionary tale for those wondering where the point of diminishing returns is when it comes to fiscal austerity. Read more here>>
Government Agencies Try Out A New Social Network
InformationWeek
Government agencies, many of whom long ago took the Facebook and Twitter plunges, are expanding their social media presence to Google+. InformationWeek reports that since making pages for businesses and organizations available two weeks ago, several federal agencies from the Smithsonian to the Marines have begun to create profiles. So far NASA seems to be the most active organization, with over a dozen multimedia posts, but more and more offices are signing up every day. Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube are still core components of agency social networking plans, but the arrival of Google+ is an opportunity for these agencies to diversify their online portfolio. After all, there is no such thing as being "too available" for a government agency. Read more here>>
Obama Orders More Technology Cuts
InformationWeek
President Obama recently drafted an executive order mandating that agencies establish "new policies to ensure they're not distributing mobile devices, tablets, or laptops that are going unused, according to the order." Obama also ordered agencies cut down on creating hardcopy paper documents and provide whatever agency information they can electronically. InformationWeek highlights Faith Stanfield, a Social Security Administration (SSA) employee from Ohio, who suggested that her agency eliminate printing its intra-agency magazine and instead begin to make it available online. These efforts come on the heels of the President's June "Campaign to Cut Waste" announcement which had originally proposed to eliminate 50% of federal websites by the end of the year and freeze the creation of any new ones until 2012. Agencies will have to transition away from paper communications smartly to minimize impact on citizens/customers who rely on that information. Read more here>>
White House petition site drawing attention and ridicule
Mashable
The White House's much-ballyhooed "We The People" website, which promises to provide an official administration response to any petition collecting 25,000 signatures, has made headlines in recent days for prompting an official White House comment on the existence of aliens. Some citizens are having trouble taking the site seriously, circulating a petition demanding "a vapid, condescending, meaningless, politically safe response." The petition's creators "demand that the White House immediately assign a junior staffer to compose a tame and vapid response to this petition, and never attempt to take any meaningful action on this or any other issue." The organizers go on to formally demand a cookie. So far the document has over 11,500 signatures, suggesting that a formal response (and that cookie) may not be far behind. Read more here>>
Request a free federal customer service strategy briefing
How is your agency addressing the White House April 27, 2011, Executive Order - Streamlining Customer Service Delivery and Improving Customer Service? U.S. Federal Government customers who are evaluating a CRM customer service solution may be eligible to receive a complimentary Microsoft Technology Center Federal Customer Service Solution Strategy Briefing, an eight-hour review of your agency's business requirements and a solution capabilities discussion to support a Microsoft Dynamics CRM based customer service solution. Read more here >>
www.ohmygov.com
